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THE WORD

Gal 5,1-6 / Lk 11,37-41

After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”

IN OTHER WORDS  

Some people seem to enjoy nothing but unreasonable questioning and criticism. They are gloomy grumblers, finding faults everywhere; specialists of destruction whom everyone wishes to avoid. Such are the Pharisees whom Jesus encounters in the Gospel but not avoid. In fact he even accepts their invitation to a meal, even knowing that conflict is ahead. Kind and compassionate, Jesus never rejects any person. With strong words he corrects the Pharisees, making it clear to them that he does not agree with their idea of justice and interpretation of God’s law. It’s one thing to talk about God and sacred things; it’s another to live out what we hear and believe. Only true love can teach us what is right or wrong. The law does not have the power to command us internally; only love does.  It’s time to test our own critic. Do we have something in common with the Pharisees?

If we truly love our brothers and sisters, our critic will be a blessing, but if our critic comes from envy, jealousy, hatred and narrow-mindedness, then we are like the Pharisees, specialists of destruction, leaving behind us only ruins. A healthy positive critic is necessary for a vital human life in community. It’s for a paralyzed society like a cold shower that stimulates the flow of blood in the body so it can receive fresh strength and life. It’s like a gardener’s knife that mercilessly cuts away all that has grown wild or dried up, so the tree can freely breathe and grow again.

Let us find creative ways to become more understanding, more compassionate and forgiving and ask the Lord to deliver us from being a “fault- finders fraternity” instead of a life-giving community where everyone can feel at home.

  • Sr. Marty Meyer, S.Sp.S. | Convent of the Holy Spirit, Quezon, City

The Word in other words 2016

An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.

 

 

THE WORD

Gal 4,22-24.26-27.31-5,1 / Lk 11,29-32

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

IN OTHER WORDS

Historically, mission has been interpreted in various ways and taken many forms. Nonetheless at its core and at its simplest, mission is nothing more or less than the Christian’s participation in God’s quest to relate with people so they can rediscover God’s love again in the here and now. Three modern illustrations might make this more concrete.

The first pursues conversion as a goal, except that the “New Evangelization” of Pope John Paul II is directed not at traditional unbelievers but rather at the already baptized – Catholics who have not really risen beyond the level of cultural Christianity. Mission in this Petrine mode consists in “strengthening the faith of the brethren,” e.g., through catechism in the schools, fostering religious organizations, conducting renewal movements and so on.

The second form consists of priests, religious and even OFWs who share their faith with people other than their own, usually in some foreign land, witnessing to the transforming power of the Gospel in ordinary lives, communities and institutions, hoping that those who do not yet know

Christ might learn to believe as well. This Pauline mode of mission focuses, not unlike meeting “the queen of the south” in her search for truth, on dialogue – with non-believers, with men of science, with sectors of secular culture. Through “pockets of faith” Christians prompt observers to say, “See, these truly are the children of God.”

The third sense of mission is the challenge posed by Pope Francis in his visit to Tacloban and Manila: to venture to the peripheries where the marginalized weep – from poverty, exploitation, oppression and injustice. Mission means denouncing an “evil generation” to practice inclusiveness; it means reassuring the poor that God walks and agonizes silently with them. It challenges the complacent to go beyond episodic solidarity and seek eff ective ways to reform structures corrupted by the power of sin, enabling God’s glory to shine again in lives worthy of human dignity.

All are called to mission by our Missionary-in-Chief; to which form is Christ calling you today?

  • Fr. Dionisio Miranda, SVD | President, USC, Cebu City

The Word in other words 2016

An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.

 

 

 

THE WORD

FIRST READING: 2 Kgs 5,14-17

Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.” Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it.” And despite Naaman’s urging, he still refused. Naaman said: “If you will not accept, please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for your servant will no longer make burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the LORD.”

SECOND READING: 2 Tim 2,8-13

Beloved:

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

GOSPEL: Lk 17,11-19

Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”  Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

IN OTHER WORDS

Protestants would always insist that their church is the true Church founded by Christ. And they would have different kinds of “scripture-based” arguments to support this claim. Catholics on the other hand would point to Peter as the first Pope, hence to a direct and unbroken connection to Christ. Therefore the Catholic Church is the true Church. Bow!

The Samaritans and the Jews had and still have exactly the same argument as Protestants and Catholics have. Each would insist as being the “true Israel” and hence possessing the “purer” form of worship of the One God.

In the Gospel today we hear Jesus healing ten lepers, one of whom, the one who says his “thank you”, is a Samaritan. And at the end of the Gospel Jesus says to this man, “Your faith has healed you”. Faith in whom? Faith in the Jewish Jesus? Or faith in the Jewish Yahweh? Or is it perhaps faith in the Samaritan Yahweh? In the first reading we hear the account of the healing of Naaman, an Aramean general. He is not a Jew and therefore he must have been worshipping other gods before this incident. But he is healed, without being asked for his “baptismal certi cate”, or if “he has been saved” or if he knows “what the name of God is”.

The need to argue and win non-catholics is our problem. That is why the same tired and boring questions and equally tired and boring answers are rehashed over and over and over again. I love Kobe Bryant. In one game, a player from the opposing team was complaining incessantly to the referee. Kobe approached him and said, “Shut up and play”. Maybe we should also say this to ourselves, for we would definitely be doing the world a huge favor if we “shut up” and actually practice what we preach.

God is love. And the readings today show that this love is not tied by or to anyone. St. Paul in the second reading affirms that “the word of God is not imprisoned”, and this Word who is Love is poured out to all good or bad, young or old, “gentile or Jew, woman or man, servant or free”.

God is busy loving…sadly, most of us are busy talking.

  • Fr. Dante Barril, SVD | Rome, Italy

The Word in other words 2016

An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.

 

 

THE WORD

Gal 3,22-29 / Lk 11,27-28

While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.

IN OTHER WORDS

One of the titles given to the Gospel of Luke is: The Gospel of Mary. Luke gives many vivid accounts about Mama Mary. One of which was when Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth who greeted her: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Lk. 1:42).

Mama Mary is truly blessed! What made her so blessed? The totality of her being makes her so blessed. In the story of the annunciation, the angel’s greeting is the first proof: “Hail Mary, full of grace” (Lk. 1:28). Then, the angel adds, “The Lord is with you.” In her being God resides; that makes her filled with grace.  Literally, her body was filled with grace when she carried Jesus in her womb for nine months.

In today’s Gospel, while Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed” (Lk. 11:27-28).  Aside from the angel, her cousin Elizabeth, this particular woman could not contain her amazement towards Mama Mary that she shouted and uttered those words.

But Jesus’ answer, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it,” might be misinterpreted as a form of disagreement. It was actually an affirmation of the woman’s comment.  Who truly heard the word of God and observed it? It was Mama Mary!

Mama Mary listened intently to Jesus and she did it up to the foot of the cross. She observed the word of God especially when she uttered her at: “Be it done to me according to your word.”  Do we want to be blessed? Let’s imitate Mama Mary. Let’s listen to the word of God and observe it.

  • Fr. Glenn Paul Gomez, SVD | DWC, San Jose. Occ. Mindoro

The Word in other words 2016

An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.

 

 

More Articles ...

  1. October 7, 2016 Friday
  2. October 6, 2016 Thursday
  3. October 5, 2016 Wednesday
  4. October 4, 2016 Tuesday
  5. October 3, 2016 Monday
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